Following the invention of the FRISBEE.RTM. flying disc toy, a number of inventors have attempted to improve the FRISBEE.RTM. and similar flying discs by adding lighting systems that improve both the appearance and the utility of the flying disc. A lighted disc is usable in the evening hours when a non-lighted disc is not usable. Moreover, a light disc provides an added level of entertainment, based in part on novelty, that non-lighted discs fail to offer.
Several systems have been used in the past to illuminate flying discs. One of the earliest systems was to use glow-in-the-dark materials to construct the flying disc. Such materials could either be integrated into the structure of the disc, or could be added by means of special coating materials. Typically the result was a disc that produced a desirable eerie glow at night, but was often ineffective during the twilight hours due to the relatively high ambient light level. Moreover, the glow frequently did not last long, and many discs required frequent recharging by direct exposure to a strong light source.
Later systems used light emitting diodes (LEDs) as a light source, powered by small low voltage batteries. In part for reasons of esthetics, and in part to conserve battery power, a few flying discs have provided circuitry to apply a square wave or similar cyclic voltage to the LEDs. This type of circuitry has included timer circuits and oscillators formed from NOR or NAND gates. Unfortunately, the regular pulsations of the LED light sources are not in any way controllable by the user. Moreover, the LEDs must be turned on prior to use, and off after use, making such toys usable only by older children.
Some attempt has been made to provide a flying disc toy with an on-board switch that turns power on only when the disc is in use. An example of such a switching structure provides a pair of centrifugally-activated electrical switches. Although bulky and heavy, these switches address the issue of automatically turning power off, but do not address the issue of activating the LEDs in response to the movement of the disc in flight. Also, by virtue of their mass, these switches tend to alter the flight characteristics of the disc.
What is needed is a flying disc toy that provides both LED lighting that flashes on in response to movement of the disc, and off in response to a timer circuit, as well as glow-in-the-dark structures. The disc toy must turn its electronic circuitry off automatically when not in use, so as to prevent unwanted battery drain. The flying disc toy must also provide a raised center section that has a waterproof storage area for all the needed electronic circuitry.